Sleep Is The New Status Symbol

There was a time when bragging about how little you slept was a badge of honor.

- MONIQUE TODA

Hustle culture made martyrs of the overworked. Yawning through meetings was seen as proof of ambition and hard work, not burnout. If you didn't answer emails at 2 a.m., were you even trying to succeed?

But the tide has turned, and we have to thank REM for that. Today, sleep is no longer for the weak. It's for the wealthy. The rested. The self-actualized. The ultimate flex in 2025 isn't the grind, it's the nap. Welcome to the age of sleep privilege.

"Sleep is the Swiss army knife of health," says neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep. "When sleep is deficient, there is sickness and disease. And when sleep is abundant, there is vitality and health."

The New Power Nap

When I was working at a luxury hotel a few years back, they had a sleep program offered to guests. This had the perfect pillows, circadian rhythm clock guides, warm relaxing baths. Tatler Asia enumerated 12 hotels and resorts in the region that offered sleep packages to celebrate World Sleep Day (yes, that exists) last March. The packages included personalized sleep consultations, relaxing teas, blackout blinds, and other rituals to lull you into oblivion.